"Bhikharini" (English: The Beggar Woman) is a Bengali short story written by Rabindranath Tagore. The story was first published in 1877 in Bharati^[1] and was the first short story written in Bengali language.^[2][3] This was also Tagore's own first short story, and he was 16 years old at the time of its publication.^[4]

Plot

The story is set in a village in Kashmir. Amar Singh and Kamal Devi are the main protagonists of the story. They grew up together and were good friends. Kamal's father was a renowned person in the village and Amar's father Ajit Singh was a commander (Senapati) in the king's army. Their families arranged Amar and Kamal's marriage. After the death of Kamal's father, their family's financial condition became poor.